Canary Wharf Group plc (CWG) has secured a tenancy agreement with Jamie’s Italian, Jamie Oliver’s first independent restaurant venture. London’s first Jamie’s Italian will open its doors in Churchill Place Mall in Autumn 2009, joining other recent restaurant signings Roka, Canteen and Rocket.

Jamie’s Italian, which has already opened branches in Oxford, Bath and Kingston to rave reviews and huge local followings, offers authentic, delicious Italian food at an affordable price. The restaurants are the brainchild of Jamie Oliver and his “Italian father” Gennaro Contaldo.

Camille Waxer, Vice President of Retail at CWG, said:

”Jamie Oliver and Canary Wharf is a very exciting combination and we are delighted that London’s first Jamie’s Italian will open here.

“In the next 18 months or so we have KPMG, Fitch Ratings and State Street all opening new office buildings nearby. The continued growth in the number of Canary Wharf visitors and workers requires the quality, quantity and variety of dining options to keep pace.

“We have been very impressed by the success of Jamie’s Italian in Oxford and Bath. It will inspire more food lovers to visit Canary Wharf and offer our existing customer base an exciting new option.”

Simon Blagden, MD of Jamie’s Italian added: “The Canary Wharf development is a fantastic place to be and I couldn’t think of anywhere better for our first location in inner London. This restaurant, like all those we’ve opened so far, will be something special and I’m sure the businesses and the residents of E14 will love what they see when we open in autumn 2009.”

The restaurant has taken 4,714 sq ft in the Churchill Place Mall. Other tenants will include Rocket and a Barclays branch.